You are a project manager if you have to manage a team to achieve a project’s objectives. Almost every business organisation has one project or the other at hand, and they are always pursuing to achieve something definite within a particular time-frame; they may assign the project-goal to the sales department, finance department, marketing department, research and development unit, or any relevant department within the organisation and it is the duty of the department’s head to put together members of the proposed project and assign a team leader or project manager over them. The team leader reports back to the project manager and he reports to the department head who in turn reports back to the management.

The roles of a team leader or project manager in managing a team to achieve a common goal and purpose are not a mere role, and it calls for great expertise and experience at both managing a people and achieving a set goal. As a project manager or team leader, you must possess some skills and qualities to enable you perform your duties well, and some of these are –

–Have a clear understand of project goals:You are chosen as the project manager or team leader because you definitely or ought to understand the project at hand better. Know the project in and out and understand what the goals and objectives are so that you can devise strategies and allocate resources or assign team members accordingly. You must see more than what others see, and be able to control events and situations as they spiral toward executing the project needs and realising its goals.

–Define clear roles and responsibilities:You must be able to clearly define the roles and responsibilities of each member of your team. Ensure each member knows his roles and responsibilities as far as the project is concerned, and you must also be able to clarify issues as they relate individual responsibilities towards resolving the project’s goals.

–Negotiation and conflict resolution skills:You must possess great negotiation skills and be able to work things around for the team members. You must also be able to resolve internal conflicts so that the team can work with a singleness of purpose. Conflicts are bound to occur where many qualified people work on the same project, but as the team leader or project manager you must be up to the occasion to resolve tensions and bring things to order.

–Provide integrated functions:As the project manager or team leader, it is your main responsibilities to identify the skills that each stage of the project would require; assign qualified project staff or train any if necessary; keep team members informed of project development and warranted changes; motivate the team members and keep their morale high enough to accomplish what the team is set out to achieve.